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The bulk of L.A.'s attractions are located in a 60-70 sq ml area, and several of the worthwhile outlier neighborhoods (Pasadena, universal city, long beach) are well serviced by PT.
Two points, part of the lure of CA in general is getting out to enjoy some of the dramtic scenery (never easy via transit) and 60-70 sq miles is pretty big, most things in Chicago are less than a 15 minute cab ride/walk assuming one stays DT.
Maybe I am wrong but a visit to LA includes moving all around and Chicago typically involves traversing the DT - just vastly different experiences IMHO
As I have said I enjoy both, and as someone not at all afraid or bothered by PT I couldnt fathom a vacation in LA relying on this
But then again there is nothing like a Malibu or Santa Barbara close to Chicago that would lure me there Getting from Santa Monica to Hollywood, to Universal, to Dukes, to Disney are not something I would consider using PT for regardless of order. Now a drive along the PCH is well worth the adventure and car
LA is spread and not as conducive to PT, just is what it is. I feel like at times you guys cry wolf a bit, it is awesome we have all these places everywhere and then also claim it is easy get around on PT. Fundemantally it cant be both. I need to ride the new subway in LA sometime, but fact of the matter is I have never found myself going two laces the same day on the line, nor ever stay along the line. That said I quite enjoy LA, finally experienced the Santa Monica farmers market recently and loved it
What huge distances? The only attraction that is spread out is, like I said, Santa Monica and the beaches. Get a zip car or a one day rental for that. Everything else that is worthwhile is in a 10 mile radius (probably less than that too). Plus in Hollywood there are all those "Hop On / Hop Off" tourist oriented buses that take you on a loop through Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Miracle Mile, and then back to Hollywood.
If I go to LA I don't just want to see Hollywood and Beverly Hills. I also wanna see Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Malibu, etc. I want to hop around and take in the scenery. That's the attraction of LA. It is not walkable and has crappy PT (which is inevitable given its size) so you are not gonna get the best of it without a car. You are gonna have to either restrict yourself to a very limited area or spend an inordinate amount of time on buses (which is neither the quickest nor most pleasant way to get around). I have no idea why anyone would want to do that.
Two points, part of the lure of CA in general is getting out to enjoy some of the dramtic scenery (never easy via transit) and 60-70 sq miles is pretty big, most things in Chicago are less than a 15 minute cab ride/walk assuming one stays DT.
Maybe I am wrong but a visit to LA includes moving all around and Chicago typically involves traversing the DT - just vastly different experiences IMHO
As I have said I enjoy both, and as someone not at all afraid or bothered by PT I couldnt fathom a vacation in LA relying on this
But then again there is nothing like a Malibu or Santa Barbara close to Chicago that would lure me there Getting from Santa Monica to Hollywood, to Universal, to Dukes, to Disney are not something I would consider using PT for regardless of order. Now a drive along the PCH is well worth the adventure and car
LA is spread and not as conducive to PT, just is what it is. I feel like at times you guys cry wolf a bit, it is awesome we have all these places everywhere and then also claim it is easy get around on PT. Fundemantally it cant be both. I need to ride the new subway in LA sometime, but fact of the matter is I have never found myself going two laces the same day on the line, nor ever stay along the line. That said I quite enjoy LA, finally experienced the Santa Monica farmers market recently and loved it
I agree that L.A. 'spreads the wealth' so to speak, and doesn't have the narrow streets that Chicago does, but 60 sq miles worth of attractions is a lot more manageable, even if you have to drive, wouldn't you say?
DTLA
Hollywood
Koreatown
Miracle Mile (Museum Row)
Beverly Hills
Griffith Park
WeHo and the Sunset Strip
Santa Monica
Venice
Westwood
Exposition Park/USC
All within a 60 sq mile area, at most. And if you're in DTLA, you can easily hop on the red, which will take you past Hollywood, and into Universal City (home to citywalk and Universal Studios) and NoHo. From DTLA the Gold Line will take you to Old Pasadena, one of the city's most walkable areas. You can even get to Downtown Long Beach from DTLA.
Now, if you want to see the south bay, the OC and whatnot, you will need a car (which I recommend), but you can definitely shrink down L.A. to a more manageable size if you want to.
I agree with you on that, but IMO it is a mistake to rent a car and exclusively use it to see LA. Most people rent cars here because they are told by all their friends, "Oh you have to have a car to see LA."
Personally the only way to truly see a city is to see it car free.
Agree in many ways and this is far more difficult in LA do to the spread. One of the reasons why I find it particularly difficult to truly understand LA after many visits relative to other cities
I agree that L.A. 'spreads the wealth' so to speak, and doesn't have the narrow streets that Chicago does, but 60 sq miles worth of attractions is a lot more manageable, even if you have to drive, would you say?
DTLA
Hollywood
Koreatown
Miracle Mile (home to Museum Row)
Beverly Hills
Griffith Park
WeHo
Santa Monica
Venice
Westwood
Exposition Park/UCS
All within a 60 sq mile area, at most. And if you're in DTLA, you can easily hop on the red, which will take you past Hollywood, and into Universal City (home to citywalk and Universal Studios) and even NoHo. From DTLA the Gold Line will take you to Old Pasadena, one of the city's most walkable areas. You can even get to Downtown Long Beach from DTLA.
Now, if you want to see the south bay, the OC and whatnot, you will need a car (which I recommend), but you can definitely shrink down L.A. to a more manageable size if you want to.
60 sq miles is a lot to get around on a bus! Most cities in the world have the majority of their attractions within a 5 to 10 sq mile area, and even then you want to take the subway/metro.
I agree that L.A. 'spreads the wealth' so to speak, and doesn't have the narrow streets that Chicago does, but 60 sq miles worth of attractions is a lot more manageable, even if you have to drive, would you say?
DTLA
Hollywood
Koreatown
Miracle Mile (home to Museum Row)
Beverly Hills
Griffith Park
WeHo
Santa Monica
Venice
Westwood
Exposition Park/UCS
All within a 60 sq mile area, at most. And if you're in DTLA, you can easily hop on the red, which will take you past Hollywood, and into Universal City (home to citywalk and Universal Studios) and even NoHo. From DTLA the Gold Line will take you to Old Pasadena, one of the city's most walkable areas. You can even get to Downtown Long Beach from DTLA.
Now, if you want to see the south bay, the OC and whatnot, you will need a car (which I recommend), but you can definitely shrink down L.A. to a more manageable size if you want to.
Well last visit in Santa Monica I could not imagine a vacation with reliance on PT, not saying it cant be done but I know I am not personally signing up for that trip
and FWIW to suggest that it is even remotely close to Chicago for PT convenience is pure nonsense
If I go to LA I don't just want to see Hollywood and Beverly Hills. I also wanna see Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Malibu, etc. I want to hop around and take in the scenery. That's the attraction of LA. It is not walkable and has crappy PT (which is inevitable given its size) so you are not gonna get the best of it without a car. You are gonna have to either restrict yourself to a very limited area or spend an inordinate amount of time on buses (which is neither the quickest nor most pleasant way to get around). I have no idea why anyone would want to do that.
I don't agree with you at all. But I agree with KidPhilly, some of the attraction of LA is the outer cities, such as Santa Barbara and Newport Beach, the PCH. All of these you will need a car to get to, but they are really day trips in themselves (PCH is how you get to them).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fitzrovian
It is not walkable and has crappy PT
And stop saying that, you are making yourself sound stupid.
Well last visit in Santa Monica I could not imagine a vacation with reliance on PT, not saying it cant be done but I know I am not personally signing up for that trip
and FWIW to suggest that it is even remotely close to Chicago for PT convenience is pure nonsense
Yeah it's not.
There will be a light rail line to Santa Monica in 2015 though when the Expo line is finished! Then you will be able to get to Santa Monica and Venice on PT. I can't wait, because I do agree, getting to SM on the bus (from Hollywood) is a bia*ch, it takes almost an hour.
There will be a light rail line to Santa Monica in 2015 though when the Expo line is finished! Then you will be able to get to Santa Monica and Venice on PT. I can't wait, because I do agree, getting to SM on the bus (from Hollywood) is a bia*ch, it takes almost an hour.
well the drive is about the same (Had an awful trip from Brentwood to SM recently time wise, though the return was far better and stopped for some pretty good persian food in Westwood on the way back). Personally I wish the subway would go all the way to SM
I don't agree with you at all. But I agree with KidPhilly, some of the attraction of LA is the outer cities, such as Santa Barbara and Newport Beach, the PCH. All of these you will need a car to get to, but they are really day trips in themselves (PCH is how you get to them).
And stop saying that, you are making yourself sound stupid.
LOL... Are you saying that LA is walkable and has good PT... for a city of 10m+ people? ROFLMAO
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